A day in the life of MAGAL

MAGAL students gather around the 'food stand' to talk about their new project with the JFS Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry.

The Meitin Alliance for Growth and Learning (MAGAL) is a collaborative religious school between Temple Israel and Temple Shir Shalom. MAGAL, the name by which the school is known, is the Hebrew word for "circle" and a symbol of oneness. Classes are held at the synagogue located at 50 S. Moss Road in Winter Springs.

On a recent Sunday, the children, in addition to their classroom studies, participated in three special projects. They baked Ziploc bag challot and rainbow challot, and they began an ongoing "food of the week" drive in partnership with Temple Israel's Ma'asim Tovim (good deeds) committee, and the Jewish Family Services (JFS) Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry.

Where else would one find a recipe for Ziploc bag challah other than in a religious school? Each child was given a one-gallon Ziploc bag and asked to take it around to different "stations" where Rabbi Joshua Neely, Cantor Kim Singer, and the MAGAL madrichim (teen helpers) added various, measured ingredients to each bag. After shaking the bag and placing in warm water to rise, everyone got to take the bag home for final kneading and baking. There is no report about what each person's final project looked like at home.

The next project was a recipe for rainbow challot. The dough came in a variety of colors like rose, green, yellow and blue (a mystery) and the students rolled, twisted and shaped it, put it in the oven and enjoyed a terrific snack as they were dismissed from school.

MAGAL children making rainbow challah.

Finally, everyone gathered in the main sanctuary to learn about a new food drive endeavor among Temple Israel's Ma'asim Tovim committee, MAGAL, and the JFS Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry. Each week at dismissal, the children are given a flyer that names the food being collected for the next week. At the beginning of the school day the next week, the children will place their contributions of the week on a food stand at the entrance to the school and it will be delivered to the Pearlman Emergency Food Pantry. The first themed food item collected was "Peas Please." The next themed food item was "Breakfast in a Box." Each week is a different theme.

MAGAL will be holding the first of several open houses on Sunday, May 7. Please RSVP if you would like to attend, 407-647-3055.